What's Past is Prologue
by Amireal
Summary: --complete-- Crossover with Highlander. SLASH. A new linguist joins the SGC and Daniel relives some ghosts from the past. (shippers, have no fear)
1. It's a wonder I didn't sleep through my ...

Daniel woke up to a blinking light somewhere in the room. He looked around   
blearily, while he blindly groped for his glasses. Slipping the wire frames   
on, he watched the world come into focus. He turned his head towards the   
blinking, a sour feeling started in his gut. His clock. Crap.  
  
It was blinking at 2:54, which meant three things. One, there had been a   
power outage overnight at least three hours ago. Two, he really needed to   
put fresh batteries in the clock. Three, the alarm wouldn't have gone off   
when it was supposed to, and from the light filtering in through the   
curtains on his window, it was morning. They had a mission briefing at 0800.   
Jack was going to *kill* him.  
  
What would have the right time? His watch. Where did he put it? He couldn't   
even remember going to bed last night, he had been so tired.  
  
He looked around the room and found his pants in a crumpled heap next to the   
bed. He lifted them up and shook them, hoping the watch would fall like an   
apple from a tree. Plunk! Great! He'd found his watch!..... only to lose it   
to the darkness under his bed... He was about the throw the pants across the   
room when he felt a heaviness from the waist. His beeper!  
  
That made him feel a bit better. If he were late enough, they would have   
beeped him. And called. And, eventually, come by to yell at him. Since none   
of these things had seemed to have had happened...  
  
He glanced at the beeper. 8:30. Double crap.  
  
Breaking new land speed records, Daniel got washed, dressed and made himself   
a cup of coffee. Once in the car he picked up his cell phone and dialed the   
base. They put him through to Jack, who picked up after only a few rings.   
"Jack. Hi. I'm, uh..."  
  
"Late?" Jack said acidly.  
  
"Not on purpose. Alarm didn't go off."  
  
"Well, get here yesterday. You're the only one we're waiting on. Even the   
new guy's here."  
  
A squirrel darted out into the road, and Daniel jerked the wheel to avoid   
it. "New guy?"  
  
"Tell you about it when you get here."  
  
Daniel heard the distinct click that meant Jack had hung up. "Not even a   
goodbye," he mumbled to himself.  
  
He managed to make it to the base in record time, but the six security   
checks between him and the briefing room seemed to take forever. He decided   
to skip his office and go directly to his final destination. Glancing at his   
beeper, because he hadn't had time to find his watch, told him it was around   
9:15. "Not so bad," he mumbled.  
  
He pushed the door open, and got the distinct feeling that security had been   
instructed to call ahead when he got there. They had all been looking in the   
direction of the door, waiting for him.  
  
"Uh... hi."  
  
"Glad you could join us, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond said.  
  
"Power outage," Daniel muttered as an explanation. "What'd I miss?"  
  
"World ended. Goa'uld started tap dancing. Pigs flew." Daniel got the   
distinct impression that Jack was still annoyed at him.  
  
He shot Jack a 'we'll talk *later*, now's not the time' glare. Jack gave him   
an insolently bland look in return.  
  
"Gentlemen," Hammond said, sounding like he wanted to use a different term.   
"Doctor Jackson, there's someone I'd like you to meet."  
  
Daniel looked around the room and didn't see anyone he didn't recognize.   
Hammond continued, "I'd like you to meet Dr. Peter Adams."  
  
A tall, bookish man who had been leaning against the wall in the back of the   
room came forward, seeming cautious in his approach. "Hello Dr. Jackson," he   
said in an accented voice. Daniel examined the[,] thin almost lanky,   
dark-haired man before him as he offered his hand in greeting. A slightly   
shocked look passed over Dr. Adam's face, but he went to take the hand   
anyway.  
  
As their hands met, Daniel's mind caught up with his body and he paled. "Oh   
my god."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Peter said, quirking his mouth in a smile. "I've read   
your reports. Fascinating stuff."  
  
Daniel tried to get his mouth to catch up to his brain. "Adam?"  
  
There was a flicker of -- something -- in Peter's eyes, but he shook his head, face bland. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else."  
  
"I don't-- I--" Daniel frowned. "I guess."  
  
Jack, who had been watching the exchange with bemusement, said laconically,   
"Something wrong, Daniel?"  
  
"What?" Daniel turned to Jack and asked, "I mean.. um.." He turned again to   
Peter and looked closely this time, "You look.." Peter simply stared at him,   
his face still bland. Daniel shook his head. "I'm sorry, you just reminded   
me of someone I hadn't..."  
  
"Is something wrong, Daniel?" Jack asked. Flustered Daniel could be amusing,   
but he looked too shocked for Jack's comfort.  
  
"No.. I.. no." He turned back to Peter, "I'm sorry, you just reminded me of   
an old... friend."  
  
"I get that a lot," Peter said, smiling. "Shall we get down to business?"  
  
"Business?" Daniel stared blankly at him before shaking his head. "Right.   
Um. What *is* the business?"  
  
"Doctor Adams is joining the SGC research staff," General Hammond said.   
"He's an expert on ancient languages."  
  
Daniel shot a sharp look at Peter, but said only, "Good. We need someone   
like that."  
  
Peter tilted his head slightly. "The General thought I could assist you with   
the texts from -- P2X-568, I believe it was?"  
  
"Oh," Daniel said, and then, "oh! Yes, see, the writing base is, as far as I   
can tell, an ancient Mesopotamian dialect, and I haven't quite been able to   
translate..."  
  
Jack tuned Daniel out as he continued; the terms he was rattling off with   
increasing eagerness meant absolutely nothing to Jack, though Peter was   
nodding with seeming understanding. Instead of listening, he watched the   
interaction between the two men. There was something there, something   
between the two of them, that he wasn't quite getting. It made him uneasy,   
not to mention concerned for Daniel. When he'd seen Peter, he'd looked like   
he'd seen a ghost. And Peter... Peter had looked almost guilty. He knew   
*something*.  
  
Jack shrugged. He could talk to Daniel later, figure out what was going on.   
Figure out if having this Peter on base would cause problems. His priority   
was Daniel, and if Daniel was going to have issues, Jack wouldn't hesitate   
to get Peter out.  
  
Peter and Daniel had continued to chatter in what seemed to be a different   
language when Hammond's voice rang out, "Gentlemen." They both looked up,   
slightly guilty about having drifted into their own little world.  
  
A grandfatherly smile spread over his face, "Go to work. Dismissed."   
Everyone get up to leave with three exceptions, Daniel, Peter and Jack.  
  
"I'll see you in your office Daniel?" Peter asked.  
  
"What?" Daniel had been distracted again. "Yes... my office. I'll be there   
in 10 minutes."  
  
With a nod, Peter left the room. Daniel watched him leave, lost in thought.   
Jack frowned at him. "Daniel."  
  
"Hmm?" Daniel said without looking away.  
  
"Is there something you want to tell us? Off the record?"  
  
"What?" Daniel blinked, genuinely startled. "About what?"  
  
Jack, in answer, jerked his head towards the doorway that Peter had gone   
through.  
  
Daniel flushed slightly and said, "No."  
  
"You sure?" Hammond's voice was soft with concern. "If there is something,   
we need to know."  
  
"It's nothing," Daniel said, a bit too harshly. He rubbed his arms together   
in an uneasy gesture. "I just...he looked like someone."  
  
"I gathered that," Jack said dryly. "Could he *be* that someone?"  
  
"No." Daniel closed his eyes. "Adam... died. It's just a coincidence. Gotta   
be."  
  
"Right," Jack said, but he was frowning. His mind leaped to the immediate   
parallel -- Apophis, who had died. Several times. Granted, Peter wasn't   
Apophis, but nevertheless...  
  
"Very well." Hammond nodded at Daniel. "Dismissed."  
  
Jack stretched out in his chair, waiting until Daniel left, and then said to the empty room, "I don't like this." 


	2. Need a new perscription?

Daniel made his way through the hallways, not paying too much attention to   
what was going on around him. His head was swimming, remembering blood   
soaked shirts and ducking for cover.  
  
He was on autopilot by the time he reached his office. He opened the door   
and began to put away various papers that had been in his briefcase without   
looking up. He didn't notice the small click as the door opened. "Busy?"  
  
"Wha-?" Daniel was surprised by the sense of deja-vu, the voice was so   
similar.  
  
"Did I startle you?" Peter looked amused.  
  
"A little."  
  
"I could wear a cowbell," Peter said, not quite deadpan, and Daniel had to   
smile.  
  
"No, it's all right. I was a bit... distracted."  
  
"I can understand that." Peter perched on the edge of Daniel's desk, idly   
looking through the papers. "So where are these texts?"  
  
"I've got them in another room." Daniel rescued some of the papers. "Wanted   
someplace where I could spread them out."  
  
"Got it."  
  
"I, uh." Daniel tapped the papers against one hand, looking down. "You   
didn't go to school at Oxford, were you?  
  
"Oxford?" Again there was that strange flicker of *something* behind Peter's   
eyes. "No, I don't believe so. Why?"  
  
"Just curious." Daniel gave a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "It's   
nothing."  
  
"This is about your friend, isn't it," Peter said quietly, "the one I   
reminded you of, back in the briefing room."  
  
Daniel closed his eyes, shook his head slightly, and said, "We should   
probably get to work." 


	3. My spidey sense is tingling.

Jack quickly moved away from the door before the two scientists left the   
room. He wasn't sure what had prompted him to listen in, and he didn't think   
he had actually learned anything. But the conversation with Danny earlier   
just hadn't sat well with him. Neither had the one he just overheard. "Adam   
and Oxford." he mumbled to himself "Other than not knowing how they would   
affect Daniel like this, I know nothing."  
  
On a whim, he tracked Carter down -- she was in her lab, of course. "Hey.   
Carter."  
  
"Colonel?" She looked a little startled. "Can I do something?"  
  
"Yeah, uh, I was just wondering -- the new guy, Adams -- you didn't sense   
anything... uh... odd, did you?"  
  
"Odd?"  
  
Jack grimaced and tapped his head. "Snakeish."  
  
Her mouth dropped open. "Wha-- You think he's a Goa'uld?"  
  
"I don't *think*," he said. "I'm just covering all bases."  
  
She gave him an odd look, but said, "I didn't feel anything. And he *seemed*   
perfectly nice."  
  
"Yeah, but you saw how Daniel reacted to him."  
  
"What, that Daniel knew him? Not everyone Daniel knows is a Goa'uld, sir."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "I *know* that. But -- didn't you see *how* Daniel   
reacted? Not what he said. How he said it."  
  
Sam smiled and looked down. "All I saw was that Daniel thought he recognized   
Doctor Adams. Sir, haven't you ever seen a stranger who looked like someone   
you knew?"  
  
"No."  
  
"...right, well, I have. Memory recognition of faces is based on pattern   
matching. Some faces we remember with greater detail than others; generally   
shapes and colors. If we see someone that matches a particular set of data   
that we've stored in--"  
  
"Right. I get it." Jack held up one hand.  
  
"--in memory," she continued, stubbornly, "then we might pull a false   
pattern match and believe that the person we are seeing is the same as the   
person whose face we remember."  
  
"So you think that there's nothing... odd going on."  
  
"Odd? Only you, Colonel." Sam smiled.  
  
"Very funny." Jack mock-glared at her, and left.  
  
He wasn't seeing things. He wasn't being paranoid. But... without any proof,   
he had nothing to do. Except skulk about, which he was good at, and, maybe   
he needed to have a talk with Peter. Or Daniel. Or both, but not at the same   
time. 


	4. I don't believe in coincidences.

Daniel and Peter were sitting at the head of a large table that had numerous   
books, transcripts and scrolls spread out. Daniel was peering intently at a   
particular piece, slowly sipping his cooling coffee.  
  
Peter was sitting next to him in a similar position. "This is the most   
different mutation of the language I've ever seen."  
  
Without looking up Daniel nodded, "It happens. They've been self contained   
for god knows how many years."  
  
"Can you hand me the Plaut?"  
  
Peter absently reached for the large book on his left. "Here you are."  
  
Without looking up, Daniel took the book. "Thanks, Adam."  
  
"Not a problem," the man mumbled  
  
Daniel looked up sharply, but Peter didn't notice, and Daniel frowned and   
went back to his translation. "There's a chunk missing-- the scroll's torn   
here. Have you seen a piece about yea big?" Daniel held up about an inch   
and a half of air between his thumb and finger.  
  
Peter glanced over. "There are some partial segments in this pile. What's   
the context?"  
  
"Uh." Daniel squinted. "As far as I can tell, singing trees. That, uh, could   
be wrong, but this phrase," underlining a couple of the words with one   
finger, "appears a lot."  
  
"Right," Peter said, starting to sort through.  
  
Daniel snuck a glance up at him and said, casually, "Reminds me   
of that class on Arabic morphology I took -- I had this Professor who would   
throw in random strings of words, just to see--"  
  
"To see if you were paying attention," Peter finished with him, giving a   
distracted grin. "God, I hated when the bloody know-it-all professors did   
that. I showed up didn't I? What more did they want?"  
  
Daniel went very still. The phrase -- Adam had used that exact same   
phrase, for that exact same professor, "Adam?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Peter didn't look up. "Hey, I think this is the segment you want--   
does it fit?" He held the parchment fragment out, and when Daniel didn't   
take it, he finally looked over. "Dr. Jackson, are you all right?"  
  
"You're Adam," Daniel said flatly.  
  
"I told you," Peter protested, "my name's Peter. Don't know this Adam friend   
of yours." His gaze was bland and innocent, but Daniel didn't buy it any   
longer.  
  
"I called you Adam, you didn't even blink."  
  
This time something did flicker across Peter's face, it went by too quickly   
for Daniel to clearly identify it, but at least he had reacted.'  
  
"Is THAT what you said? I thought you had just learned some bad habits from   
these military types."  
  
Daniel looked at him strangely.  
  
"You know... calling everyone by their last names? Most academics don't do that sort of thing." Now Peter looked perplexed and worried, "Are you sure you're ok?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Is there any way I can help? Perhaps take you to the infirmary?"  
  
Daniel studied the face in front of him intently; it was so familiar. He   
briefly closed his eyes and said, "No, it's... No. How about an early   
lunch?"  
  
"I am a little hungry." Peter said, "I'll meet you back here in an hour?"  
  
"Make it an hour and a half, maybe I'll take a short nap, you know me..." he   
trailed off waiting.  
  
Peter looked at him curiously, "You... like your mid-day nap?"  
  
"Nooo. Sorry. I'll just be going."  
  
Again Daniel wandered through the hallways with his mind racing through the   
past. He watched a face float before his eyes, was ten years long enough   
to forget? No, something wasn't right.  
  
He sat at an empty table eating his lunch trying to put the pieces together.   
Normally, when he wasn't eating *with* someone, he spent the entire meal   
alone -- but today, he wasn't. Jack sat down next to him, dropping his tray   
onto Daniel's table with a loud clatter. "Hey."  
  
"Hey," Daniel said, drawing the syllable out as he continued to try to think  
  
"They call this turkey," Jack complained, poking at his sandwich, "but I   
really don't think it's anything halfway edible." He shrugged and took a   
bite. "How's your new friend working out?" he asked around a mouthful of   
sandwich.  
  
"Huh?" Daniel blinked up at him. "New -- what?"  
  
"New friend. Y'know. Doctor Peter Adams."  
  
"He's not... I mean, there's...ah, that is, it's... He's good at what he   
does."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
Something in Jack's voice made Daniel look at him, but Jack wasn't sending   
any meaningful glances his way. "We've made progress on the translation."  
  
"So you'll be finished sometime this century?" Jack teased, deadpan. He   
expected some sort of reaction -- a sigh, rolled eyes, an annoyed "Ja-ack",   
something -- but Daniel just shrugged and went back to poking his lunch.  
  
"Something bugging you?" Jack asked.  
  
"Nah," Daniel said, but it was the sort of 'nah' that really meant 'yes'.  
  
"This about Adam?"  
  
*That* got a reaction. Daniel's head snapped up, and he stared wide-eyed at   
Jack, looking more alarmed than confused. "What?"  
  
"Isn't that the name you used back in the briefing room? When you thought   
Peter was someone else."  
  
"I-- oh. I did, didn't I." Daniel looked less alarmed, but wasn't relaxed   
either. "That was a mistake. I've got to go, need to get to work," and he   
stood abruptly.  
  
"Bye," Jack said to Daniel's back, and frowned. "*That* was odd." 


	5. Signs, portents and angry friends.

Jack sat at the table a few minutes more, finishing the so-called turkey   
sandwich. "Maybe he wants to be left alone," he muttered to himself. "That's   
never stopped me before." He got up and followed Daniel down the hall.  
  
Jack found Daniel in his office; he seemed to be going through an old dusty   
box. "Come on. I *know* this one's not at my apartment." Daniel started   
mumbling numbers to himself, "Ninety-four, ninety-five... Ah ha! Got it."  
  
Jack watched as Daniel pulled out what could only be a journal from what   
he figured was a dusty box.   
  
He sat behind his desk and started thumbing through it. Towards the middle   
of the book he slowed down. Reading more and more of each page until finally   
he stopped. A few minutes later he slowly put the book down in front of him.   
Placing his elbows on his knees and his face in is hands he took a deep   
breath. "I don't know if I can do this."  
  
Jack watched him with silent concern for a moment, and then, as Daniel   
started to stir, Jack ducked back out into the hallway. From Daniel's office   
he could hear a muttered "Okay, I *can* do this, I *have* todo this."  
  
A few moments later, Daniel left, head down, not noticing Jack, not seeming   
to notice anyone. Jack bit his lip and slipped into Daniel's office. The   
last time he'd gone through Daniel's journals, Daniel had been dead. He   
didn't have that excuse this time, but he had to know.  
  
The journal had been stuck back in the box, but was lying on top of the   
other journals. Jack lifted it and started flipping through. One of the   
pages was stiff, far less flexible than the others. A photo had been taped   
to it, and Jack looked. Daniel -- looking extremely young, even though it   
was probably little more than ten years ago -- and another man, arms around   
each other, laughing. The other man had Peter's face. Identical.  
  
The surrounding pages had a lot of talk about Adam -- Adam this, Adam that,   
and Jack flipped back to the photo and stared at it. Geez, no wonder Daniel   
looked so shocked in the briefing. This was... unreal.  
  
He paged forward, skimming over the entries. Adam this, and Adam that, and   
--  
  
-- and one entry, dated May 12th, that consisted only of // Adam's dead. //   
Jack sighed. He really should put the book away and walk out of the office.   
He really should. He turned the page and continued reading.  
  
The next entry was dated May 15th.  
  
// The funeral was today. Jen reminded me that there were things I needed to   
take care of. I don't want to think about them, but she asked me some   
questions that I couldn't answer and now I wonder. Can I afford the rent   
now? Should I postpone my defense? I don't-- //  
  
"Find what you were looking for Jack?" an angry voice asked from behind him.  
  
His head shot up in surprise, "Danny!"  
  
Daniel waved a hand in dismissal, "No. Don't. Not right now. I'm going home   
and catching up on some sleep. Tell Peter... Tell Peter that I didn't feel   
well."  
  
"Daniel--"  
  
"Don't." Daniel sounded almost more tired than angry. "You have no right to   
-- to dig through my life. What it is now, and," snatching the journal out   
of Jack's hands, "what it was then. I am going home and I am locking my   
office and you are not saying a *word*, Jack, not a word."  
  
"Right," Jack said. He could take a hint.  
  
Daniel locked his office door with savage movements and then stalked past   
him, and Jack didn't follow. Tell Peter, Daniel had said. He'd probably   
meant 'if you see him,' but Jack sought Peter out anyway, tracking him down   
in the research lab that Daniel had taken over.  
  
"Colonel," Peter said, and smiled at him. "Can I help you?"  
  
Jack thought of the picture in Daniel's diary, and of the shock in Daniel's   
face, and said, "Yeah. You can."  
  
Two steps brought him close to Peter, and Jack gripped his arm tightly and   
pulled him to his feet. "You can tell me who you are and what you've done to   
Daniel."  
  
Peter looked at the Colonel with a serious face, "I didn't do anything."   
There was something in the eyes. "Please let me go." Something that didn't   
mesh with his professor type appearance.  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"You have to. I swear, I wouldn't do anything to hurt him."  
  
Jack nodded tightly. "If you do, I'll kill you."  
  
Again, something passed through his eyes. Equals stared at each other. "I   
have no doubt that you would." Then Peter was Peter again. "Do you know   
where he is? We were supposed to meet a few minutes ago."  
  
"Yeah. He asked me to send his regrets. Said he didn't feel well. Went home   
early."  
  
Peter thought about it for a moment. "I see. Then I'll get back to work.   
Perhaps I can make some progress. Have something to talk about when he gets   
in tomorrow. He *is* coming in tomorrow?"  
  
"He didn't look too sick. Probably just needs some extra rest." Was it   
Jack's imagination, or did Peter look slightly relieved?  
  
"I'll just get back to work then."  
  
"Yeah, you do that." Jack walked out of the room and mumbled, "Well that was   
even *less* helpful." 


	6. What is your problem Colonel?

5:32.  
  
Daniel stared at the clock in his bedroom. No longer blinking, it was a   
steady red glow that didn't change nearly quickly enough. Daniel's mind was   
spinning wildly with memories that hadn't shown up for years. Things --   
*people* -- that he'd almost forgotten.  
  
5:33.  
  
"This is impossible," he muttered, rubbing his face. He couldn't do this. He   
couldn't go in. He couldn't -- "Dammit." Adam. Peter. God, if it had been   
anything else, any other situation, he wouldn't even waver in his certainty   
that they were the same person. But Adam had *died*.  
  
5:34.  
  
...hadn't he?  
  
Daniel shook his head. It wasn't a matter of having been *told*. He'd seen   
Adam, touched him. Adam was dead. And without a sarcophagus, no one could   
get over that.  
  
5:35.  
  
This wasn't about him, Daniel told himself firmly. It wasn't about either of   
them. It was about those scrolls, the translation. The knowledge.  
  
5:35, still.  
  
Daniel scrubbed at his face again and sat up with a sigh. Maybe getting some   
work done would take his mind off of the -- other stuff. And at this hour,   
the base would be quiet. Quieter, at any rate, than later in the day.  
  
5:36, and he stood up and stumbled into the shower.  
  
6:11, he was at the base.  
  
He made it down to his office and dropped his things off, then relocked the   
door remembering the incident from the other day. It still made him mad.   
He felt invaded enough without walking into his own office and finding his   
bestfriend reading his journals.  
  
Next stop, the scrolls.  
  
It seemed that Peter had continued working without him. The tense problem AND the syntax   
problem. Peter had started retranslating it based on the new information.   
Several words jumped out at him "My god." He whispered to himself.   
"This is... wow."  
  
He had to tell someone. Tell everyone, maybe. He had his phone up and Jack's   
extension half-dialed before he remembered what time it was. Instead, he   
dialed down to the security desk.  
  
"Let me know when either Colonel O'Neill or General Hammond sign in."  
  
"Yes, Doctor Jackson," the airman on duty said, and Daniel hung up, focusing   
back on the translation.  
  
When the phone rang a little over an hour later, Daniel jumped. He'd lost   
himself in the translation, in what Peter had done and in what he himself   
could translate based on the current knowledge. The more he found, the more   
he felt like this was a dream. It had to be a dream. Nothing else would   
explain how incredible a find this was.  
  
"Jackson," he mumbled into the phone.  
  
It was the airman from the security desk. "General Hammond just arrived."  
  
"Thanks," he said, and tapped his pencil against the notebook he was writing   
in.  
  
He got up and went to seek the General out. When he got to his office he   
knocked hesitantly. When he heard a faint, "Come in," he opened the door.  
  
"Good morning Sir."  
  
Hammond looked up surprised, "Dr. Jackson, you're here early."  
  
"Uh, yeah. Making up for yesterday."  
  
"Right." There was an awkward silence in the room, "Did you want to speak to   
me about something?"  
  
"Uh yes sir." Daniel stepped all the way into the room and started speaking,   
"I was going over Dr. Adams notes, he ah..." he blushed, "made significant   
progress yesterday."  
  
"What did he find out?" The general asked.  
  
Daniel got up and started pacing. "Well, it seems these scrolls speak of   
an ancient gathering place, a place of knowledge. Now I thought that was   
interesting considering that this culture doesn't usually have that sort of   
thing at this level of development. Mostly there are oral traditions passed   
down from father to son, mother to daughter. Sometimes there's an   
information gatherer. Someone who-"  
  
"Dr. Jackson, could you please."  
  
Daniel stopped pacing and started leafing through the notebook he had   
brought with him. "Sorry, it's just.. it's.. Like I said before, an ANCIENT   
gathering place. Originally I mistook that for a simple noun. After the work of Dr.   
Adams it became clear that it's a proper noun. Meaning, THE Ancients."  
  
Hammond was leaning forward, listening with great interest, "What does this   
mean, Dr. Jackson?"  
  
He took a deep breath, "I think we may have found another Heliopolis."  
  
Hammond just stared at him. "Care to elaborate?"  
  
"Heliopolis," Daniel repeated impatiently. "P3X-972. Ernest's planet.   
Meaning of life. General, this could be what we're looking for. This could   
be *everything*.  
  
"And if I recall," a dry voice said behind them, "the last 'everything' we   
found collapsed around us. And nearly killed *you* in the process."  
  
"Morning, Jack."  
  
"I take it you found something good," Jack said, and then added, "Yes or no,   
I don't need details."  
  
"Well, I do." Hammond was still staring at Daniel. "I don't want to risk   
people until we're sure what we're facing."  
  
"General--" Daniel protested.  
  
"I'm not saying we won't check it out," Hammond said. "I don't want to risk   
my entire research staff if they'll end up speaking only the language of the   
Ancients and hijacking the Stargate to go where we really shouldn't be able   
to."  
  
Daniel glanced at Jack, smiled a bit ruefully, and then said to Hammond,   
"Sir, can we at least check it out?"  
  
"I could send SG-1." The General looked at Jack, who nodded his agreement.   
"Doctor Jackson, prepare a mission briefing; we'll meet at 1100 hours.   
Dismissed."  
  
Daniel started to leave, then hesitated and turned back. "I'd...sir, if it's   
all right, I'd like to request that Dr. Adams come with us."   
  
Jack shot him a sharp look, and Daniel flushed. "He's good with the   
language. Better than I am. Given the complexity of the information, we'll   
need him along."  
  
"He doesn't have combat experience," Jack said immediately.  
  
"Neither did I, when I started."  
  
"That was different."  
  
"It was not."  
  
"Gentlemen!" Both Daniel and Jack jumped at Hammond's bark, and fell silent.   
"I will take your request under advisement, Doctor. Colonel, I am aware of   
your reluctance. I will make my decision before the briefing. Is that   
clear?"  
  
"Yes," Daniel mumbled. Jack looked sullen but said, "Yes, sir."  
  
"Dismissed."  
  
Daniel shot an undecipherable look at Jack and brushed past him.  
  
"Daniel, can we talk?"  
  
"I need to prepare for the briefing," Daniel said, evasively. "Sorry."  
  
Jack stared after him. "Sure you are," he muttered.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
"Sir, do you know what this briefing's about?"  
  
"Carter, why is it everyone always takes me for a fountain of knowledge? Why   
is it everyone always looks to me for the answers? Is it my rugged good looks? Or just that air of information that lingers around me?"  
  
"It could be that for some unfathomable reason, someone put you in   
charge," a voice said from the door.  
  
"Daniel! Good of you to join us, and only--" Jack glanced at his watch.   
"--ten minutes late this time."  
  
"Thank you Jack, for that stunning display of wit." Despite the teasing tone   
there was still some anger underneath Daniel's jibe.  
  
"So, what have you and your little rocks been talking about?"  
  
"Artifacts."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Gentlemen." Said a deep voice from the head of the table.  
  
Blushing slightly, Daniel said, "Sorry sir."  
  
"Go on son."  
  
"As I told the General earlier, the translations that Dr. Peter and I have   
been working on revealed something very interesting."  
  
"Translations from what planet?" Teal'c asked.  
  
"P2X-568. They appear to be some sort of journal. The person who wrote them   
was some sort of explorer. On one of his explorations he found a place of   
ancient knowledge. At first I thought this had to be a mistake, oral   
tradition usually take precedence. It takes a great - I guess you   
could call it an industrial revolution - something that makes it easier   
to mass-produce writing. But even then, it's more likely for the oral   
tradition to keep a strong hold-"  
  
"Daniel!"  
  
"Sorry. After working out some syntax problems, I discovered that it was a   
place of knowledge OF the ancients. A Heliopolis."  
  
Carter leaned forward in interest, "Really, that' amazing."  
  
"Hold your horses Carter. We don't even know if we're gonna go back there   
yet."  
  
"But sir, the scientific implications. If this really is another Heliopolis,   
can we afford not to go? Can we even afford not to find out?"  
  
"No, I don't think we can," a new voice added from the doorway.  
  
"Dr. Adams." Jack practically sneered, "How rude of you to join us   
uninvited."  
  
"I'm a very polite person once you get to know me," Adams said, giving Jack   
a smooth, predatory smile. "And I don't show up uninvited."  
  
"I asked Dr. Adams to join us," Hammond said.  
  
"Great. Just great. Hey, what's next, inviting Colonel Kennedy to lead a   
team?"  
  
"Colonel, I don't understand your attitude."  
  
"Yeah, well, I don't understand *him*. Daniel's a perfectly good linguist.   
He's done all right so far. Is he suddenly braindead?"   
  
"I am perfectly capable," Daniel snapped. "I am also capable of knowing when   
someone," gesturing at Peter, "is better at his specialty than I am. And I'm   
capable of accepting help."  
  
"From him."  
  
"Yes. From *him*. God, Jack, what is your *problem*?"  
  
"My problem is--"  
  
"Gen. Tle. Men."  
  
Peter, who had been watching with confused amusement, ducked his head with a   
smirk.  
  
"Colonel, this is not a permanent assignment. Dr. Adams *will* be   
accompanying you on this mission. Any questions?"  
  
Though technically a query, the last sentence had the air of an order.   
Jack glared at the table and said, "No, sir. Perfectly clear, sir."  
  
"Good. With your *permission*, Colonel," Hammond suggested sarcastically,   
"we will continue the briefing now."  
  
Jack waved his hand in a go-ahead gesture, and Hammond looked at Daniel.  
  
"We sent another MALP back through," Daniel said, not looking at either Jack   
or Peter. "As with the first MALP transmission, there was no sign of any of   
the Ancients'...ah, booby traps, as it were. As far as I can tell, this is   
not directly an archive created by the Ancients."  
  
"Scroll fifty-two," Peter prompted.  
  
"I was, uh, getting to that." Daniel passed out sheets, copied versions of   
one of the scrolls. "This, I believe, gives instructions to a... storage   
facility. It's incomplete. Alone, it wouldn't add up to much, but   
considering that this one was found with the others..."  
  
"Yes. Uh. I understand your hesitation, sir," to Hammond, "and fully agree   
-- *if* we find something that looks like it was created *by* the Ancients,   
we'll, uh..." A sideways glance at Jack. "Exercise full caution. But it   
might be a library containing a wealth of information -- cultural,   
technological, linguistic, medical -- that we might well *need*."  
  
"And you can't figure it out from here?" Jack asked.  
  
Daniel smiled faintly. "Yes, I can figure out the secrets to the known   
universe using a paperclip and a mesopatamian to english dictionary. Never   
thought I'd see you turn down the chance to get out, Jack."  
  
"Turning down the chance to play nice with rocks." Jack raised an eyebrow,   
"and don't underestimate the usefulness of a paperclip. There's lotsa neat   
things it can do."   
  
Peter ducked his head again, smiling.  
  
"And no," Daniel said, "it isn't something I can do from here. OR talk   
someone through." Daniel added before Jack could protest, "Some of the   
information is probably, quite literally inscribed into the walls. And if   
the instructions lead to a place on the planet, as I believe they do..."  
  
"It just seems like a big risk with very little chance for payoff." Jack hedged. "I was the lucky recipient the last time 'round and I don't anything like that to happen again."  
  
"We really should go, sir," Carter said. "This is...this is what we've been   
looking for."  
  
"*Maybe*," Jack insisted  
  
"Maybe, yes, but -- if it's not worth the risk to do *this*, then what are   
we doing each time we go out?"  
  
"It's not the risk," Jack said. "It's just..." He clenched his teeth,   
obviously composing himself. "I trust my team, sir," he said to Hammond. "If   
they feel it's worth going, then we go."  
  
"Then you have a go, leave as soon as you're ready." 


	7. And the rest was history

Sorry this took so long, I kept meaning to rewrite this whole thing, but I figured I'd put y'all  
  
outta your misery. Here's the crap version in its entirety. One day I plan on going back and  
  
making sure that Daniel is a. No so much of a whiner and b. not a woman.  
  
Anyhoo... ENJOY!  
  
**************************************  
  
  
  
When Daniel entered the gateroom nearly an hour later the first thing he saw was a very annoyed  
  
Jack standing at the base of the ramp tapping his foot compulsively.  
  
"Nice of you to join us."  
  
"He's not even late, Colonel." Peter had interrupted any excuse he could have made.  
  
"Who asked you?"  
  
"No one, but I've often found that people never ask for opinions when they truly need them."  
  
Daniel had never seen Jack turn that shade of purple before, "Why you-"  
  
"Jack!" Daniel yelled, he just couldn't handle an argument right, didn't even know how he was  
  
going to work with Peter again, "Just, stop it."  
  
"Fine let's just get this over with."  
  
"Fine," Daniel said. God, he wanted this mission to be *over* -- and from Jack's expression, he  
  
wanted the same thing. He glanced at Peter, who gave a shrug and apologetic smile.  
  
"So. This is the Stargate, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Daniel said. "Don't worry, it's easy."  
  
Carter leaned over and murmured, "Yeah, you just step in. The Stargate does all the work."  
  
Peter smiled.  
  
Carter and Teal'c went through the gate first. Jack hung back to bring up the rear, and Daniel  
  
shepherded Peter through. He stumbled on landing, and looked back at the Stargate. "Amazing,"  
  
he whispered.  
  
"You'll get used to it," Carter said cheerfully.  
  
Jack came through in time to hear that. "Hopefully he won't," he said, speaking to Carter but  
  
staring at Peter. "It's just this one trip."  
  
"Jack," Daniel started.  
  
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Jack said pointedly.  
  
Daniel gave him a long stare. "Yeah," he said at last. "Doctor Adams, if you would follow me,  
  
I'll show you where we found the scrolls."  
  
They walked down a rocky slope towards a high cliff. Upon closer inspection there was a building  
  
ensconced withing the rock face itself.  
  
Jack whistled to himself as they got closer and realized that the front of the structure went all the  
  
way up the rock face and that was several stories high. "That's one big building."  
  
"Actually," Peter said, "It's more than likely that all that is nothing more than decoration. The  
  
inside room is probably not much larger than we are and most likely leads into some sort of cave  
  
system."  
  
"Oh good, caves, we all know how much luck we have with those." Jack didn't look happy.  
  
"What makes you such an expert on this anyway?"  
  
  
  
Peter raised an eyebrow in exasperation, "I've spent some time in the mountains in Jordan, this  
  
type of thing is quite common there."  
  
Jack didn't say anything, but he rolled his eyes and it looked suspiciously like he was mouthing,  
  
"it's quite common there, " the way a 12 year old would when losing an argument.  
  
Daniel sighed, "Could we just go in?"  
  
At the entrance all five members of the team turned on their flashlights and looked around. It was  
  
a small square room carved into the rock. There was another doorway on the other side.  
  
"Would that not be the entrance we are looking for?" Teal'c asked.  
  
"That would indeed be the entrance we are looking for," Peter said.  
  
Jack started forward, but Daniel's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "There's writing," Daniel  
  
said. "Carved into the doorway. It looks like a warning of some sort, but I can't quite read it.   
  
Peter?"  
  
"'Those who live' -- no. 'Those who come here must be prepared to' -- offer? no, sacrifice. 'must  
  
be prepared to sacrifice a measure of their love.'"  
  
There was silence, and then Jack said, "Mind translating that into English for me?"  
  
"That *was* English," Peter said.  
  
"Well, you know, English usually makes some *sense*. Where I come from, at least."  
  
  
  
"What Jack means," Daniel translated, "is, do you have any idea what the warning means?"  
  
"That those who come here must be prepared to sacrifice a measure of their love," Peter said,  
  
straight faced. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with any requirements of this sort."  
  
"So...is this like a 'abandon hope, all ye who enter here' type thing, or something we should  
  
actually pay attention to?"  
  
Peter shrugged. "I suppose we could try--"  
  
"Good," Jack said. "Teal'c, take point."  
  
Teal'c stepped to the doorway, started through, and quite promptly bounced back. A blue  
  
shimmer at the threshold was evidence of some sort of force field. Teal'c got to his feet and put  
  
one hand against the blue field. "O'Neill, I am unable to pass."  
  
"It could be a Goa'uld thing," Carter suggested. "Like Thor's hammer."  
  
Jack cocked an eyebrow at her, and said, "If so, that might cut you out too."  
  
She nodded. "If it responds to naquadah and not the symbiote itself."  
  
"So," Jack said, and looked at the doorway. With a deep breath, he stepped forward   
  
--and ended up staggering backwards just as Teal'c had. "Ow. Christ, that smarts."  
  
"So we're all trapped?" Daniel said.  
  
Peter chewed his lower lip. "Sacrifice a measure of their love," he quoted thoughtfully. "Daniel,  
  
there's something in -- one of the scrolls we just got, hand me that, would you?"  
  
Daniel handed him the scroll he was pointing at, and leaned over his shoulder to read. Peter  
  
mouthed the translation, and then muttered, "'those who would seek knowledge must commit to  
  
it, so only those who have proven commitment' -- oh, dear."  
  
Daniel's gaze flickered further down the scroll, and his fingers traced where he was reading.   
  
"Does that say what I think it says?"  
  
"And what, exactly," Jack said, "do you think it says?"  
  
Daniel looked at Jack and then away. "I, uh, that is... it, um... there's... um. I probably translated  
  
it wrong."  
  
"No," Peter said quietly, "I don't think you did."  
  
"What does it say!" Jack demanded.  
  
  
  
"I think," Daniel started and looked seriously at Jack and Sam, "I think unless the rumors are true,  
  
we may have a problem."  
  
"What rumors?" Sam asked.  
  
"Normally I wouldn't care," Daniel said carefully, "I wouldn't even *think* to ask, but.."  
  
"But what Daniel," it was obvious that Jack's temper was rising again, "What are you trying to get  
  
at?"  
  
"Are you two.. mmamnng a remamionip" Daniel mumbled.  
  
"Are we WHAT?!?"  
  
"I said-"  
  
"He asked," Peter interrupted, "Or at least was trying to ask, politely I might add, are you two  
  
having sex?" At the shocked looks on both of their faces, Peter added, "I have no such  
  
compulsion."  
  
"We are not, nor have we EVER had sex!"  
  
"Damn." Peter looked chagrined, "That might've made things easier."  
  
"What?" Carter said, mouth open. "Did you just-- did--"  
  
"Someone needs to explain what the *hell's* going on," Jack ground out.  
  
Daniel was blushing furiously. "There's a... requirement... that, uh... any..." He stammered to a  
  
halt.  
  
"We need sex to get in," Peter said bluntly. " 'Those who would seek knowledge' -- that's us, or  
  
anyone who comes here. 'those who have proven commitment' -- from the context, it has to be  
  
someone in a relationship. Marriage isn't required, because that's a legal issue, not ethics; it just  
  
needs to be a committed relationship. 'Sacrifice a measure of their love'..."  
  
"They have to prove it," Daniel said, not looking at anyone. "Or we stay here for the, uh, rest of  
  
our...lives."  
  
"However long they are," Peter muttered.  
  
Jack stared at them. "So, in essence, we're screwed. Because Sam and I aren't having sex? Is that  
  
what you're saying?"  
  
"Well, because none of us are. With the rum-- uh, that is, you and she were the most likely  
  
pairing. I know that I wasn't involved with anyone, and, uh..." Daniel winced.  
  
"General Hammond will send a team after us," Teal'c said, "if we do not return. We need only  
  
wait until they show up, explain what is needed, and--"  
  
"And get them through the entrance how, exactly?" Peter asked sharply, slapping the force field.   
  
It shimmered and sparked, and Peter shook his hand. "Ow."  
  
"Get enough C4," Jack suggested, "and--"  
  
"And lose our access to every single piece of information here," Daniel said, "not to mention  
  
bringing the entire mountain down around our heads."  
  
"We *have* no access!" Jack snapped. "I would far prefer getting out of here *alive*. Though I  
  
know that's not a priority of yours."  
  
"Dammit, Jack, this is not my fault. Stop treating me like it is." Daniel glared at him. "We need  
  
to think about this. You're sure you and Sam aren't-- uh, stupid question. Of course you're sure.   
  
And Teal'c, you're not?"  
  
Teal'c shook his head silently.  
  
"Then we have no options," Daniel said. "There's no one here that can...pay the, uh, price."  
  
"You're wrong," Peter said, very quietly. His head was bowed, but as the others turned to stare at  
  
him, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Daniel. "There...is."  
  
"There.. is?" Daniel looked confused for a moment, then he paled and whispered, "Oh... my...  
  
god." He stumbled backwards until he hit a wall and slid slowly down to the ground. "Oh.. my...  
  
god." he whispered again.  
  
Peter crouched down in front of Daniel, "I'm sorry Daniel, this was never supposed to happen."  
  
"No, this can't be."  
  
"Daniel-"  
  
"NO!" he yelled, "NO! You fucking DIED!!!"  
  
"Danny?" Jack asked confused  
  
But Daniel wasn't listening, he had buried his face in his hands, "I can't deal with this right now."  
  
"You have to," Peter insisted. He wrapped his hands around Daniel's wrists, tugging them away  
  
from his face. Daniel struggled against him, but Peter held fast. "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. I  
  
never wanted you to --"  
  
"To what," Daniel said, bitterly. "Fall in love with you?"  
  
"Watch me die," Peter finished. "I've lived through it so many times from the other direction -- I  
  
didn't want to hurt you."  
  
Daniel's eyes blazed with anger, and he wrenched himself out of Peter's grasp. "And you couldn't  
  
tell me."  
  
"No. I couldn't."  
  
Jack crouched down next to them. "Daniel, what's going on?"  
  
Daniel ignored him, staring at Peter. "Adam's dead," he said finally, voice heavy with venom.   
  
"Adam is *dead*. God, I *watched* him -- you -- whatever -- watched him die. You do *not*  
  
come back now and tell me that was all a lie."  
  
"It wasn't a lie," Peter said. "Exactly."  
  
Daniel closed his eyes. "I want you to get away from me," he whispered.  
  
"Daniel--"  
  
Jack wasn't fully grasping what was going on, but he did know one thing. He grabbed Peter's  
  
arm, yanking him up and back. "He said to get away." He pushed Peter hard against the stone  
  
wall of the room. "And *I* say I need to know what the hell is going on."  
  
"It's none of your concern," Peter spat.  
  
Jack snarled at him. "It affects my team. That makes it my concern."  
  
"Tell him," Daniel said from behind them.  
  
Peter took a deep breath, "A long time ago, perhaps 10 years ago, Daniel and I went to Oxford  
  
together."  
  
"I thought you two had never met before. You know the coincidence thing."  
  
"We weren't ever supposed to meet again, either." turning to Daniel, "I had no idea you were  
  
here, Daniel. No idea."  
  
"That doesn't really change much does it?" Daniel was losing his shell shocked look, it was being  
  
replaced with anger.  
  
"At Oxford Daniel and I were living together."  
  
"So, what does-"  
  
"We were lovers." Daniel's voice interrupted Jack's question.  
  
"Ex*cuse* me?" Jack stared at the two of them. "You--" He stopped collected himself, tried  
  
again. "You love him?" he asked Daniel.  
  
"Loved," Daniel said, shooting a look at Peter.  
  
"I never stopped loving you," Peter said to him.  
  
"You have an odd way of showing it."  
  
"It's not my fault that I got killed."  
  
"It's your fault," Daniel snapped, "that you let me think I was dead. That you never once *told*  
  
me the truth."  
  
"I *couldn't*--" Peter stopped, took a deep breath. "Colonel, could you give us a moment  
  
alone? I need to talk to Daniel."  
  
"I'm not leaving you alone with him."  
  
"It's okay, Jack," Daniel said, not looking up. He sounded almost lost. "Go. Please. It'll be  
  
okay."  
  
Jack touched his shoulder. "You need anything, you just holler, okay?" Daniel nodded, and Jack  
  
shot Peter a do-anything-and-I-will-kill-you-slowly look and retreated.  
  
He could hear them talking behind him, a soft unintelligible murmur. It took conscious effort not  
  
to listen in.  
  
"What's going on, sir?" Carter asked, voice and expression both worried.  
  
"I'm...not completely sure," Jack said. Across the room, Peter touched Daniel, who flinched back  
  
and then stilled. Peter's hand went to Daniel's face. Jack looked away. "Whatever it is, it's damn  
  
strange."  
  
"Story of our lives," she said with a nervous laugh.  
  
"Yeah. And I don't like it, Carter, don't like it at all."  
  
After Jack had wandered back towards the rest of sg1, not without a final glare, Peter once again  
  
knelt in front of Daniel  
  
"Daniel, I'm so sorry," he said again.  
  
"Stop saying that."  
  
"Fine then, I just wanted you to know that if there had been any way of avoiding this I would  
  
have done it, " Peter seemed almost resigned, "And now it seems that we have to confront  
  
everything at once."  
  
"I had nightmares for so long." he looked up, directly into the other man's eyes, "I think I still  
  
have the shirt you were wearing."  
  
"Daniel.." Peter reached forward to offer some comfort only to be rebuffed with a flinch.  
  
Then it was as if all the fight had gone out and Daniel stilled. Peter went to gently stroke his face,  
  
"I wish I could take it back, all of it. But I can't."  
  
"What do we do now?"  
  
"We get out of here."  
  
Daniel nodded, paling as he realized what that meant. "Will it work?"  
  
"It should."  
  
"Commitment is based on trust," Daniel said. "We don't have that any more."  
  
Peter looked down, not even trying to argue that. "We have to try," he said.  
  
Daniel took a deep breath. "I need to think about this."  
  
Peter leaned in to brush a kiss against Daniel's forehead, but Daniel turned his head, and the kiss  
  
landed awkwardly in Daniel's hair. "Take your time," he said, softly. "We're not going anywhere  
  
without you."  
  
Time passed far too slowly. Daniel was sitting in one corner with his knees drawn up to his chest,  
  
staring at the wall, thinking. Peter watched him quietly from across the room. Jack alternated  
  
between glaring at Peter and idly prodding the force fields with his gun. Teal'c had gone into  
  
kel'no'reem.  
  
Finally Daniel stood and joined the others. His face was pale but determined. "When we get  
  
back..." he said to Peter. The sentence trailed off without finishing, but Peter nodded.  
  
"Let's do what we need to do, then."  
  
"You know what that entails?" Peter asked; beneath the words was another question, 'are you  
  
okay with it?'  
  
Daniel closed his eyes. "Yeah."  
  
"Is this conversation going where I think it's going?" Jack asked.  
  
"Sir, what's going on?" Carter looked at the three men in front of her, "Daniel have you figured  
  
out a way to get us out of here?"  
  
Eyes still closed, he answered, "Yea, Sam I have."  
  
"Daniel, there's obviously something going on here that I don't know about, but whatever it is, I'll  
  
be ok with it."  
  
"That-" He took a deep breath and look up, "That actually makes me feel a lot better."  
  
"So, what's going on?"  
  
"It turns out that there are two people in here who can give an offering." Daniel stopped hoping  
  
that he wouldn't have to say more.  
  
"But, I know I haven't-" she stopped and looked carefully, Peter was standing right next to  
  
Daniel, his hand on the small of the archeologist's back, "Oh." she said. "Oh!"  
  
"Yeah," Daniel said softly. "So, um... we have to..."  
  
Carter nodded in understanding. "You'll want privacy," she said, and Daniel felt a flush of relief.   
  
"Not that we can give you much," she added wryly. "But I'll do what I can."  
  
"Sam." Daniel touched her arm as she turned to leave. "Thanks."  
  
She nodded, covered his hand with her own, and squeezed gently. "Good luck."  
  
"Good luck?" Jack echoed. "Good *luck*? This isn't *poker*, Carter." A quick glare at Peter,  
  
and he muttered, "wish it were."  
  
"I understand your need to protect him," Peter said to Jack. "Maybe more than you think I do.   
  
But we *have* to do that. Daniel knows that. Do you?"  
  
Jack lifted an eyebrow. "I know that the instant we get back on base, if Daniel says the word, you  
  
will be out on your ass faster than you can say 'hello'."  
  
Peter just smirked at that.  
  
"Jack." Daniel's face was flushed red, and he wasn't meeting Jack's gaze. "Could you... give us  
  
space?"  
  
"I don't get to watch?" Jack asked, deadpan.  
  
Daniel's head snapped up. "*No*!"  
  
Jack grinned. Now that Daniel was looking at him, he looked into Daniel's eyes and said, very  
  
softly, "Good luck."  
  
Peter led Daniel to the other side of the room and slowly turned to face him. Despite the resolve,  
  
'let 's get this done' look on his face, he could still see the lost soul hiding right behind it.  
  
"Let's start simple, shall we?" Peter slowly reached out, afraid the other man was going to bolt,  
  
and drew him in for a hug.  
  
At first Daniel remained stiff and unyielding in his arms, but eventually he relaxed and let his arms  
  
slide around Peter returning the hug, "I missed you.. so much." he whispered. "I didn't realize  
  
how much until I saw you in the briefing room."  
  
Peter could feel hot tears landing on his neck, he didn't say anything, he just tightened his arms in  
  
support.  
  
"I didn't get to say goodbye... I never get to say goodbye."  
  
"Shh.. It's ok... I'm here." Peter gently lifted Daniels face from his neck, forced their eyes to meet,  
  
"I'm here."  
  
"Needed you," Daniel whispered. "Oh, God, Adam, I..."  
  
Peter touched Daniel's face lightly, thumb on his lips, fingers brushing the tears from his cheek. "I  
  
know." He leaned in closer. His lips brushed against Daniel's, eliciting a quiet whimper. "I love  
  
you," Peter said, and kissed him, gentle and shallow.  
  
Daniel was shaking against him, but Peter could feel one of Daniel's arms snake behind his neck,  
  
pulling him closer. Could feel Daniel deepen the kiss.  
  
Peter twined his fingers in Daniel's hair. It was short, far shorter than he was used to; Daniel at  
  
Oxford had, had long hair, easy to hold on to, easy to spend hours just stroking. This -- was just  
  
one more sign that Daniel had changed. That this was no longer the Daniel he'd known.  
  
He banished those thoughts to the back of his mind, concentrating instead on Daniel's hand at the  
  
small of his back, Daniel's mouth sucking against his. He'd missed this; he said as much, breathing  
  
the words into Daniel's mouth, and could feel Daniel gasp slightly and then rock against him.  
  
Peter slowly moved him backwards until he had Daniel pinned against the back wall. Wedging a  
  
knee between the other mans legs, he began to slowly stroke hi torso. Reacquainting himself.  
  
Getting to know the changes. Even through the t-shirt he could feel the new muscles definition.  
  
Peter felt something tugging at his jacket. Daniel was trying to take it off.  
  
Without removing his mouth form Daniel's, Peter slipped the jacket off. Then quickly recovered  
  
the contact that *had* been lost between them. Daniel started kissing a trail down his neck ,  
  
stopping that sensitive spot behind the ear. "Oh God." he moaned, it had been too long since  
  
anyone had touched him like this.  
  
I'm not going to watch, Jack told himself firmly. I'm not *interested* in watching. No watching  
  
going on here. Still, he found himself sneaking glances, quick flickering sideways looks that gave  
  
him snapshots of what was happening.  
  
Peter's hand on Daniel's face. Daniel with his mouth open and eyes closed, face tilted up to meet  
  
Peter's kiss. Peter's thigh pressing against Daniel's. And under all this was a symphony of soft  
  
moans and noises.  
  
"Jesus," Jack whispered, and forced himself to turn away. This was what Daniel did. This was  
  
what Daniel *liked*. And he... he was... *not* listening, not watching, not paying attention at all.  
  
"You bring cards?" he asked Carter in an undertone. She smiled and shook her head. A groan  
  
from behind Jack had Carter looking over, eyes wide, and then quickly back.  
  
"Uh, no, sir. I, um, didn't."  
  
"Me neither." Jack closed his eyes. Not looking wasn't helping much, because he could still hear  
  
-- rustles, whispers of clothing on skin and skin on skin, soft uncontrolled gasps and moans -- and  
  
his mind was painting vivid pictures. Far too vivid.  
  
With a sigh he sat down, back to the wall, arms looped around his legs, and let his head thunk  
  
back against the wall. Through mostly-closed eyes he could see Peter and Daniel moving.   
  
Daniel's face was at Peter's neck, Peter's hands somewhere under Daniel's pants, and Jack shifted  
  
to a more comfortable position and pretended he wasn't watching.  
  
Daniel gasped, "Wait..." Peter stopped his movement and looked up, his eyes questioning, "My  
  
bag," he whispered, "tissues."  
  
Peter muttered to himself as he staggered to Daniels bag, "Always hanging out with friggin' boy  
  
scouts."  
  
"You just like to be kept in line." came the dazed reply from the wall.  
  
Peter looked back smiling, Daniel had slid down again, but this time there was a smile on his face.  
  
Peter figured it was more out of being caught up in the moment, but he'd take what he could get.  
  
Digging through the bag he found what he was looking for, "Ah ha!" he said, holding the tissues  
  
up with a flourish. He looked at Daniel triumphantly and nearly dropped them. Daniel was staring  
  
at him, cheeks flushed, eyes glazed and like he was the only thing in the world that was edible. He  
  
couldn't get his legs to work so he settled for crawling back..  
  
"I don't believe it," Jack muttered, watching.  
  
"Sir?" Carter said. Somehow she was managing to tune it out; Jack couldn't figure out how.  
  
"Nothing." Jack dropped his head back against the wall, using the dull pain as a distraction. Not  
  
that it helped much.  
  
Daniel dropped to his knees in front of Peter and murmured something Jack couldn't hear. Peter  
  
shook his head and said a few words, and Daniel smiled at him. Jack closed his eyes, capturing  
  
that smile in his mind.  
  
More sounds, now, shuffling and sucking and a bright, half-breathy laugh that Jack identified as  
  
Daniel's, cut off abruptly. Jack dropped his head back against the wall again, relishing the thud.  
  
An indrawn breath, sucked sharply in, and a hoarse "Daniel." (Thud.) A choked whimper (thud)  
  
and a long, frantic kiss (thud) and a quiet "God, yes, more" (thud).  
  
Jack realized he was breathing in time with the couple in the corner, he squeezed his eyes even  
  
tighter shut and clenched his hand in an effort for more distraction. His heart was pounding and he  
  
realized he was probably flushed. An especially loud gasp had him instinctually open his eyes --  
  
only to close them just as quickly.  
  
Daniel, with his head thrown back -- No, no thinking about Daniel -- eyes closed, mouth open,  
  
panting -- no!  
  
Next he tried biting the inside of his cheek. Slow deep breaths. He could do this. He heard a low,  
  
choked, "Adam..." Oh god. 'I'm being punished' he thought to himself, 'that's it, no more late night  
  
snacks.. I swear.' He heard another moan, definitely Daniel. "Shit" he muttered to himself.  
  
Daniel was lost in feeling, lost in time. He was back in Oxford, about to defend his thesis and  
  
happier than he could ever remember. Adam was there and he was doing all those things that  
  
drove him crazy. He couldn't control his reactions anymore, but he didn't care.  
  
He moaned into his lovers mouth as they found their rhythm for the first time in years. Legs  
  
wrapped around each other, hips thrusting. The pleasure was pooling in his belly. The friction was  
  
catching up to him.  
  
Dimly, he was aware of Adam groaning a noise that wasn't quite his name. There had always  
  
been a point, when they were together, where Adam lost his careful control. Daniel had for a  
  
while made it a game to reach that point. Sometimes he had, sometimes he hadn't.   
  
This time he was able to do it without trying. Adam gave a wordless, sobbed cry and broke the  
  
kiss, moving now with an untamed wildness. His fingers dug into Daniel, and he groaned into  
  
Daniel's neck and bit down.   
  
Daniel whispered Adam's name, torn between speeding up to match the wild pace Adam was  
  
setting, and slowing down to draw this out as much as possible. Adam's breath was harsh in his  
  
ears, Adam's mouth was wet on his neck, Adam's body was hard against his, and instinct won out.  
  
Daniel pounded against him, feeling the pleasure build to a painful intensity, and he hung on to  
  
that for as long as he could before giving in. He came hard and fast, and moments later Adam  
  
howled his name and jerked once, twice, three times against him.  
  
Daniel let himself collapse against the hard stone floor, still with Adam's arms around him, still  
  
with Adam's face against his neck. He realized he was shaking, and Adam murmured into his ear,  
  
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"  
  
This was hell, Jack told himself. This had to be hell. There was no other explanation. No other  
  
reason why Daniel and Peter would be   
  
-- silent?  
  
Jack lifted his head slowly, blinking his eyes open. The noise had stopped, and the movement  
  
also. Daniel and Peter were lying tangled together, and it seemed to be over.  
  
Jack swallowed hard, ignoring the disheveled pair. He couldn't see Daniel's face, and he half  
  
wanted to. Wanted to see what Daniel looked like, flushed and sated and -- he'd never get that  
  
look for himself.  
  
"C'mon, Carter," he said. His voice sounded a little hoarse to his own ears, but Sam didn't seem  
  
to notice that. "Let's see if it worked."  
  
She glanced automatically at Daniel and Peter. "If it -- oh. Right." Her gaze flickered towards  
  
Jack before settling on the doorway.  
  
Jack took a deep breath. "Okay. They did it, right? I mean," he corrected quickly, "the doorway  
  
should be open." He put one hand out in front of him, reaching for it, fully expecting to get no  
  
resistance. "So-- *ow*." He rubbed his hand, staring at the force field. "God *damn* it."  
  
"It's still there," Carter said.  
  
"Thank you," Jack snapped.  
  
"It's still there," Carter repeated, sounding numb. "So it didn't work?"  
  
"Perhaps," Peter said behind them. Jack glanced back; he was standing, tucking his shirt back into  
  
his pants, somehow managing to look like he *hadn't* just-- hadn't just-- Jack scowled at him.  
  
"What do you mean, 'perhaps'?" He slammed the butt of his gun against the force field, and it  
  
bounced back. "It's *there*. You were wrong."  
  
"Perhaps," Peter said again. He approached the doorway. Jack pulled back so that they didn't  
  
come into contact. Peter stopped short of the force field, closed his eyes, and stepped forward.  
  
Through the doorway.  
  
Jack and Carter both stared at him. "But-- how--" Jack reached out to tap the force field, and  
  
once more encountered it. "How the *hell*?"  
  
Peter turned around slowly and stepped back through. "Those who have proven commitment,"  
  
he said wryly, looking past Jack at Daniel.  
  
"So, only we.." Daniel gestured between the two of them.  
  
"I think so, but there's only one way to find out."  
  
Carter quietly poked at the doorway, it sparked back at her in defiance.  
  
"No luck here." she jumped as it sparked again.  
  
"I too am having no luck."  
  
"Teal'c! Where'd you come from?"  
  
"I have been here the whole time O'neil"  
  
"Yeah, but you--" Jack stopped. "Never mind. You can't get through. I can't get through.   
  
Carter can't get through. This is just lovely."  
  
"We can bring back...teams," Carter said. "In pairs. Now that we know how to get in... there  
  
shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"We should at least see what's back there," Peter said, half commanding, half pleading.  
  
"Negative. Not without backup."  
  
"Adam's right," Daniel said quietly.  
  
"Daniel, you *know* what the regs are--"  
  
"We should know what type of team to bring back," Daniel said.  
  
"I promise we won't get into trouble," Peter said.  
  
Jack glared at him and then rubbed his face. "No. My decision stands. We haven't had good luck  
  
with what the Ancients leave behind. I'm not letting anyone in without backup."  
  
"I have an idea." Daniel's eyes were closed, and there was a furrow between his eyebrows as he  
  
thought. "Jack, take my hand."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Take my hand." Daniel's hand was out, and his eyes opened, staring intently at Jack. "Just do  
  
it."  
  
"Daniel, what are you doing?"  
  
"Take my *hand*," Daniel insisted. "Trust me."  
  
Jack cautiously put his hand in Daniel's. It was warm, almost hot, and Daniel gave him a  
  
reassuring squeeze before stepping towards the doorway.  
  
"Whoah-wait-just-one-minute," Jack said, resisting Daniel's grasp. "You know I can't go through  
  
that."  
  
"Trust me. This will work."  
  
Jack sighed and started to step forward.  
  
"...I think..."  
  
"Daniel!" Jack yelped, but he was too close to kill his momentum. He flinched, preparing for a  
  
full-body contact with the force field.  
  
There was nothing. Jack stumbled slightly, and looked at Daniel, who was grinning broadly.  
  
"It worked," Jack said. He started to smile. "It *worked*."  
  
"Told you," Daniel said cockily, and held one arm out, reaching back through the barrier for  
  
Carter.  
  
Carter grasped the proffered hand and stepped through, "Well, that was easy."  
  
Daniel gave her a look.  
  
She blushed, "Sorry."  
  
Peter offered a hand to Teal'c, "Shall we have a go?"  
  
Teal'c took the hand and said, "We can try, but perhaps you shouldn't-" Teal'c was cut off as his  
  
guide walked into the force field.  
  
"Ow."  
  
"It looks like the force shield still does not like my symbiote."  
  
"How could you tell?" Peter asked as he rubbed his nose.  
  
"It's ok, we need someone to stay here and guard the perimeter anyway." Jack called from the  
  
other room.  
  
Teal'c inclined his head. "Perhaps I should stay here," he said, "and guard the perimeter."  
  
Jack flashed him a thumbs-up. "Good idea."  
  
"Sorry," Peter said to Teal'c, patting him on the shoulder, and then stepped through to join the  
  
others.  
  
"According to the instructions," Daniel said, "we go...this way."  
  
"Good thing we have the instructions," Jack said dryly. "We might get lost otherwise."  
  
Daniel looked embarrassed. "That was kinda obvious, huh?"  
  
"Kinda," Jack said. "Unless you want to try digging."  
  
"That's not part of the plan," Peter said. "Though if you want to, be my guest."  
  
Jack shot him a look, and started walking. "So. Daniel."  
  
"Ym-hmm?"  
  
"Any more nifty little surprises I should be aware of?"  
  
"Probably," Daniel said cheerfully. "Okay. If I've translated this right, the Heliopolis should be  
  
right around this..." He stopped, and Jack stumbled to a halt, nearly colliding. Daniel, staring at  
  
the chamber beyond, didn't seem to notice. "...corner," he whispered.  
  
Oof! Danny! Watch where you're.... going..."  
  
"What's the matter?" Peter asked as he turned the corner.  
  
Carter walked into the room and looked around.  
  
"Watch where you step, Don't wanna end up going on an unexpected road trip." Jack warned.  
  
"I don't think that's going to be a problem sir."  
  
"It's gone." Peter said quietly.  
  
Daniel stared around him at the bare room, stunned. "I was so *certain*," he said, sounding lost.  
  
Jack shrugged. "Not your fault, Danny."  
  
"It has to be here. It *has* to be," Daniel insisted. Peter, right behind him, put one hand on his  
  
back, resting lightly between the shoulder blades. Daniel didn't seem to notice. "Maybe -- maybe  
  
there's some sort of trigger, maybe we have to -- to stand somewhere --"  
  
Carter shook her head. "I don't see anything, Daniel."  
  
"Daniel," Peter said quietly.  
  
Daniel shook his head. "There has to be something here."  
  
"It's gone," Peter said. "They're gone. It happens."  
  
"Not to me," Daniel said. He started running his hands over the closest wall, pressing at random  
  
points. Peter looked at Jack, who grimaced and shrugged.  
  
"Daniel. Let's go back, hmm?"  
  
Daniel pounded the wall in frustration, and immediately Peter was there, grabbing Daniel's hands  
  
and wrestling him away. "Daniel, there's nothing *here*."  
  
"No.." he was shaking, his hands making frenetic movement, "No.. this can't... but why.."he  
  
pointed back in the general direction of the main room, "Damn it!"  
  
Peter gently placed a hand on his arm, "Let's go back-"  
  
"No!" Daniel jerked away from the touch, "Why was THAT there, if there was nothing to hide!  
  
Nothing to Guard." he raked a hand through his hair, "Why did THAT have to happen if.."  
  
"Maybe there was something here at one time, " Carter was kneeling down, examining a hole in  
  
the wall, "Maybe... they were in a hurry."  
  
"Carter?" Jack hissed.  
  
"No, sir, they're usually more careful than this, I can see where equipment might have been,  
  
surfaces that don't quite mesh. Maybe they left the test to make sure none of the natives would  
  
stumble in by accident." she was grasping at straws, "Maybe until they could come back and clean  
  
up."  
  
"Come back?" Daniel's head snapped up. "You think they'll come back?"  
  
"Uh," Carter said, and shook her head. "I really don't know, Daniel. I think that when they left,  
  
they meant to come back. I don't know if that means they will."  
  
"But they *might*," Daniel persisted.  
  
Carter glanced at Jack, who shook his head at her. "I...I don't know. I'd like to say yes, but..."   
  
She shrugged. "Even if they do come back, it could be a thousand years from now."  
  
"Or it could be tomorrow."  
  
"Or it could be never," Jack suggested. "Look, why don't we...leave a note. You speak the  
  
Ancients' language, right, Daniel? Just say, uh, 'Hey, when you get back, give us a call, we want  
  
to talk'."  
  
"And what if they don't?"  
  
"Then they don't," Peter said. "It's not the end of the world."  
  
"And if it is? So what" he looked pointedly at Peter, "My world's ended a couple of times  
  
before."  
  
"And look, you're still standing.. better than me sometimes." again Peter tried to offer comfort and  
  
placed a hand on Daniel's arm, "I'm the one that likes to hide from my problems."  
  
Daniel grasped the hand and gave it a tight squeeze, but let it stay where it was, he turned to the  
  
rest of the group.  
  
Carter looked like she was trying to give them some privacy, Jack was-- staring at their hands.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
His head snapped up, but his eyes took longer to focus, "Yea?"  
  
"Let's get out of here."  
  
"Yeah." Jack swallowed. "I think we should."  
  
Carter started out, but Jack didn't move. Peter smiled at him, and then captured Daniel's mouth in  
  
a gentle kiss. Daniel's eyes fluttered closed, and when they parted, Peter shot a glance at Jack.  
  
"I'm sorry this didn't work," he murmured to Daniel, still watching Jack.  
  
Daniel bit his lower lip and looked up at Peter. "It's... let's just get back."  
  
"Good plan," Jack called. "Let's *go*."  
  
Daniel jumped slightly. Peter smirked at Jack and kept his hands on Daniel as they moved off.  
  
Daniel had his head down the entire way back, lost in thought. Jack glowered at Peter.  
  
When they got to the main chamber, Teal'c's glance flickered between Daniel to Peter and Jack,  
  
before he nodded at Carter and said, "Did you find what you were looking for, Major Carter?"  
  
"Wasn't there," Jack answered, before Carter could say anything. "We're going back."  
  
Teal'c inclined his head. "I see."  
  
"Sir," Carter said, "if Teal'c can't pass through the barrier, how's he going to get out?"  
  
"That does not seem to be a problem anymore, Major Carter." Teal'c said as he waved his hand  
  
through the other doorway.  
  
"Force field's gone?" Jack asked.  
  
"It would appear so."  
  
"Ain't that peachy."  
  
"Peachy?"  
  
He sighed, "Yeah.. Peachy, it's... never mind. I'll tell ya later, let's just go home."  
  
One by one they left the room, Teal'c then Carter then Peter gently guiding Daniel. Jack waiting a  
  
few seconds staring at the tableau before him, sighing he said to himself, "Oh yea, absolute hell.  
  
Only wish I knew what the hell I did."  
  
His musing were interrupted by a loud , "Oomf!" He looked around and saw Teal'c on the ground  
  
grappling with someone.  
  
  
  
"Teal'c!" Jack shouted, dropping instinctively into a crouch. "What happened?"  
  
"I'm-- not-- certain." Teal'c managed to wrestle his opponent into submission. "I was attacked."  
  
"He's observant," Peter muttered.  
  
Two more people had jumped onto Teal'c; more were coming from all sides. Jack fired twice into  
  
the air, ineffectively, and then aimed the gun at once of the attackers. "Daniel, tell 'em to stop or I  
  
shoot."  
  
Daniel glanced at him, but stood up, hands held up, and spoke loudly, clearly, and, from Jack's  
  
perspective, complete gibberish.  
  
One of the attackers shouted something, jumped Daniel, and pressed his knife to Daniel's throat.   
  
Daniel went very still, and Jack swore. "What's he saying?"  
  
He was shouting one phrase, over and over again. Daniel closed his eyes. "He-- he says we--  
  
made this place unclean. That it was-- holy, and--"  
  
Peter suddenly leaped to his feet, a dagger of his own held to the throat of the attacker who was  
  
holding Daniel hostage. "Let him go," he said sweetly into the man's ear, "and I won't give you a  
  
long, lingering death."   
  
"Adams!" Jack yelled, "What the HELL do you think you're doing?"  
  
Ignoring Jack, Peter continued, "If you don't, I'll break every bone in your body - and when I'm  
  
done I'll start cutting off your fingers, then toes, then ears..."  
  
He pressed the dagger more firmly against the man's throat. He was scared and it was all the  
  
distraction he needed. With a quick movement he dislocated the man's shoulder - coincidently the  
  
one holding the knife.  
  
The knife dropped and the man fell to the floor howling in pain.  
  
From behind another one of the natives broke off from the group and lunged. Peter elbowed him  
  
in the face and kneed him in the stomach.  
  
He then turned to the rest of the crowd and said in their own language, "Anyone else? I could go  
  
on all day! You think you know impure? You think you know UNCLEAN?!? I don't think you  
  
do."  
  
Jack wasn't happy, but no one was attacking them and Daniel was free, so he wasn't complaining.  
  
"What's he saying?"  
  
Daniel listened carefully, his eyes widening, "Uh.. he's.. discouraging them from attacking again."  
  
"Uh-huh." Jack didn't relax his grip on the gun. "Is it working?"  
  
"Yeah," Daniel said, and winced. "Either that, or it's going to make them a *lot* more upset.   
  
Uh, I'm not sure which."  
  
"Daniel!"  
  
Daniel held up one hand. "No, no, I think it's... I think it's okay."  
  
Peter continued speaking, "If you hurt any of us, I will hunt each and everyone one of you down  
  
and give you the most painful death I can imaging, " he let a menacing smile grace his lips, "and  
  
believe me I have quite an imagination. If you kill me? I will arise again and I will be vengeance  
  
reborn and I WILL bath in you blood, relish in your pain."  
  
Daniels eyes were getting wider and wider. "Now he's ah... giving them an..."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"An ultimatum.. I think."  
  
"What? They outnumber us 10 to 1 and he's making ultimatums?!?!"  
  
"That's because you don't know what he's.... saying..."  
  
Jack was looking worried now, "What's he saying?"  
  
"He's saying things..... he shouldn't be able to say...." Daniel started mumbling to himself.  
  
"What! Daniel... What is he saying!"  
  
He was shaking his head, "He's using idioms and slang... nothing like that was in the scrolls... how  
  
on earth.."  
  
Peter took the opportunity to shift his body, once he was fully facing away from the rest of the  
  
group he continued, "I AM Death!" he plunged the dagger into his hand, "Don't piss me off!" he  
  
removed the dagger, waited a few seconds and with a flourish, wiped the blood away revealing no  
  
wound.  
  
"Uh, Daniel?" Jack muttered. Daniel, staring at Peter, didn't respond. Jack prodded him gently.   
  
"Daniel. What's he doing?"  
  
"I...have absolutely no idea," Daniel said.  
  
"Whatever it is," Carter said, "it's got their attention."  
  
"I'll say." The natives were staring at Peter with awe and, Jack suspected, fear. Not that he  
  
blamed them. Even without understanding the words, *he* was feeling a bit... uneasy.  
  
"These people," Peter shouted, gesturing at SG-1, "are under my protection. If you touch them,  
  
you are touching me, and I will act accordingly. If you *hurt* them, I will not forgive, not forget,  
  
not rest until every single one of you and your families lie dead at my feet."  
  
Daniel closed his eyes.  
  
"Daniel. Translate."  
  
"He's, uh." Daniel glanced at Jack and half-smiled. "Putting us under his protection."  
  
"Under *his* protection?" Jack hissed. "*We're* the ones with the guns."  
  
"Yes, and he's the one doing *that*," Daniel said, gesturing. "You think you can do that?"  
  
"Well," Jack hedged, "not in their language, no..."  
  
"Well then-" Daniel watched in horror a another of the natives rushed Peter.  
  
"Shit! I knew this wasn't-" Jack stopped and watched Peter grab the spear with his left hand, pull  
  
the man forward and shove the blade upwards into his gut.  
  
He twisted it for good measure before pulling it out. He then grabbed the man by the meager  
  
tunic he was wearing and pulled him close, "You shouldn't have done that," he whispered and  
  
then louder to the rest he yelled, "I warned you!" he shifted the man in his arms so his scared,  
  
tearful face showed. "Don't say I didn't warn you." he repeated and then calmly snapped his neck.  
  
"Jesus," Jack muttered. At least it worked -- assuming that Peter's goal had been to get the  
  
natives all kowtowing before him.  
  
They were chanting something, a rhythmic two-tone thing that sounded... Jack shook his head.  
  
"You okay?" Carter said quietly to Daniel, who was staring at the scene, face pale.  
  
He swallowed and didn't answer, saying only, "I think we should leave now."  
  
Peter had his head back, seeming to be soaking up the natives' worship. Jack put a reassuring  
  
hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Getting out of here is looking better and better."  
  
"Hey!" Jack called over. "Adams! You coming back with us? Get your ass to the gate stat."  
  
"Whatever you say," Peter called back, unconcerned.  
  
"C'mon," Jack said to his team. He still held his gun ready with one hand, just in case; the other  
  
hand remained on Daniel. "Let's go."  
  
They got to the Stargate without incident. Carter went straight for the DHD, and Peter sauntered  
  
up halfway through the dialing process.  
  
"What happened to your fans?" Jack asked, a bit bitingly. Under his hand, Daniel tensed but said  
  
nothing.  
  
"I don't think they've noticed I'm gone yet," Peter said with a shrug. "Though they really aren't  
  
my type."  
  
"Could've fooled me."  
  
"Jack," Daniel said in a low voice, and Jack fell silent.  
  
"We're good," Carter said. The wormhole was active, and she was punching in the last of the  
  
IDC code. "Colonel?"  
  
"Coming," Jack said, and narrowed his eyes at Peter. "After you, Doctor."  
  
Peter flashed him a feral smile and then turned his attention to Daniel. "Hey..."  
  
"Don't," Daniel said, one hand up to block Peter's attempt at a caress. "Just don't, okay?"  
  
Peter, after a moment, dropped his hand again, and nodded. "See you on the other side," he said  
  
quietly, and stepped through the gate.  
  
Jack looked at Daniel. "You okay?"  
  
Daniel didn't look at him. "I really *hate* that question."  
  
"...is 'shall we go home?' a better question?"  
  
Daniel almost smiled.  
  
Jack made an 'after you' gesture and Daniel stepped through the wormhole.  
  
Once on the other side of the gate, Daniel began to get a sinking feeling -- the briefing. What  
  
would they say at the briefing?  
  
Jack pre-empted an further thought when he said, "Sir, can I have a word with you?"  
  
Jack went over to General and had a quiet conversation. When Jack came back he flashed Daniel  
  
a 'don't worry about it' smile.  
  
"SG1, I have been informed that you had a rough mission and would benefit from some rest. After  
  
your medical evaluations, you're free until 1100 tomorrow, when we will have our briefing."  
  
After they were all cleared by Fraiser, Daniel started to leave without a word to anyone. Jack  
  
noticed and ran after him. "Daniel."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Where're you going?"  
  
"Home." Daniel shrugged. "You heard General Hammond. We're off until tomorrow morning."  
  
"Yes, but--" Jack stopped abruptly.  
  
"There you are," Peter said, catching up to them. "I've been looking for you."  
  
Daniel closed his eyes, looking like he was just shy of losing his temper. "I'm going home," he  
  
repeated. "Alone."  
  
"Oh, come on." Peter smiled at him. He was acting more like the academic type he'd been before  
  
the mission, Jack thought, less like whateverthehell he'd been doing back on the planet.  
  
"I thought -- I mean, I don't know anyone here, and I don't like eating dinner alone."  
  
"For crying out loud," Jack said. "You think he'd want to spend time with you, now?"  
  
"We *were* living together."  
  
"'Were' being the operative word." Jack glared at Peter. "He's not yours."  
  
"He's not yours either," Peter shot back. "I'm not trying to *marry* him. I just want to spend  
  
some time with him."  
  
"Jack!" Daniel whirled away from them, shaking. "Adam. God, both of you, *stop* it."  
  
When they quieted, Daniel said softly, "I just want to spend some time alone."  
  
"Can't let you do that."  
  
Daniel spun around, staring at Jack. "I'm sorry?"  
  
Jack held up his hands in a surrender gesture. "I don't want you to be alone," he said.  
  
"Fine," Daniel snapped. "I'll go find Sam."  
  
Peter snorted softly. Jack just nodded. "Sure."  
  
Daniel's eyebrows jumped. He hadn't been expecting that. "So," he said cautiously, "you're okay  
  
with that?"  
  
"No." Jack flashed a smile. "Really, I'd prefer that you come back with me, have a beer, rot your  
  
mind with some of my tapes."  
  
Daniel smiled, and Jack shrugged, answering for real. "Sure, that's okay. I just...I don't want you  
  
alone."  
  
Peter cleared his throat. "Do I get a say in this?"  
  
"No," Jack and Daniel said simultaneously.  
  
Peter looked down and then said, "Well, I'm going to, anyway. Daniel, we really do need to talk."  
  
"You do," Daniel said quietly. "I don't."  
  
"Daniel..."  
  
"I don't know you," Daniel told him. "I...don't know who you are, any more." He turned quickly  
  
and walked off. Jack looked at Peter, flashing a feral smile before he followed.  
  
Jack found Daniel standing alone in the parking lot.  
  
He put a hand on one of the tense shoulders and said, "Come on, I'll drive you home."  
  
Daniel looked up at Jack and didn't say anything.  
  
Jack took a good look at his friend. There were deep circles under his puffy eyes. His shoulders  
  
were slumped and his head hung low.  
  
"Don't argue, just get in my car."  
  
Jack was mildly surprised when Daniel slowly complied. 45 minutes later they pulled up in front  
  
of Jack's house.  
  
"Jack, this isn't where I live."  
  
"I know. I said I was taking you home, I just didn't say which home."  
  
"This conversation is..... annoyingly familiar."  
  
"I told you I didn't want you alone."  
  
"Yes," Daniel said. "And I told you I-- forget it."  
  
"Come on inside," Jack said. "Unless you want to walk home..."  
  
Daniel closed his eyes, not moving. "It's tempting."  
  
"For crying out loud, Daniel, just come *in*. I don't bite."  
  
Daniel, after a moment, nodded and followed Jack inside. One victory down, Jack thought wryly,  
  
and god knew how many to go.  
  
"Beer?" he asked, getting two out of the fridge and tossing one to Daniel.  
  
"No, thanks," Daniel said, but he took the beer and twisted the top off and took a long swallow.   
  
"If you were Adam," he said quietly, "I'd accuse you of trying to get me drunk."  
  
"I'm not Adam," Jack said. "And I am."  
  
"Jack," Daniel protested.  
  
Jack lifted his beer in a sort of salute. "Cheers," he said brightly.  
  
Daniel stared into his beer bottle. "I'm sorry," he said, and Jack wasn't quite sure what he was  
  
apologizing for.  
  
"Daniel, you don't have to say anything."  
  
"I do. I just..." He sat down in the armchair, staring off into space. "...don't quite know *what*  
  
to say.  
  
Jack knelt down in front of Daniel, "Hey! Lookit me! You don't HAVE to say anything. You  
  
don't owe me any sort of explanation."  
  
"It's not about owing you, Jack." Daniel took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, "You  
  
deserve something."  
  
"Danny.."  
  
"We were living together, in Oxford." a deep breath, "We were lovers in Oxford."  
  
"Danny.."  
  
"One day we were walking down the street and this car came screeching around the corner, out of  
  
nowhere."  
  
"Danny." he said it more forcefully this time.  
  
"Then the gunshots. It was the first time I'd ever heard gunshots." he closed his eyes, "Adam  
  
leaped in front of me, forced me to the ground."  
  
"Daniel." Desperate this time.  
  
"He died before the ambulance got there, in my arms... bleeding all over me..."he blinked and a  
  
tear ran down his face, "and then I found out..."  
  
"Danny, stop."  
  
Daniel blinked again, slowly climbing out of his memories and looked at Jack. Watched a tear roll  
  
down his face and saw something undefinable in his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Jack whispered.  
  
"I'm sorry too," came a voice from the doorway.  
  
Jack half turned his head. "Get out of here."  
  
"I'm not here to talk to you," Peter said.  
  
"Yeah, well, this is my house, and I do *not* want you here."  
  
"Does he?" Peter nodded his head towards Daniel.  
  
Jack looked at Daniel, who looked nothing more than just tired. "Why are you here, Adam?"  
  
"Because I want to be." Peter tilted his head. "Why is *he* here?"  
  
Daniel laughed shakily. "It's his house."  
  
"Point taken." Ignoring Jack's glare, Peter stepped forward. "I just...I want you to understand.   
  
That I never meant to hurt you, that I'm so very sorry. That I still love you."  
  
Daniel flinched slightly at that, but said, "I know."  
  
Peter stepped closer still, and cupped Daniel's face with one hand. "Daniel."  
  
He turned his head, leaning into Peter's touch. "I loved Adam," he murmured. "I don't... I don't  
  
know what to do."  
  
"Do what you feel is right."  
  
Daniel opened his eyes, looking at Jack. "Even if that means...leaving you, leaving the SGC?"  
  
Jack looked down. "Is that what you want to do?"  
  
"I..." Daniel swallowed. "No. It isn't."  
  
Jack half-smiled. "Then no, it's not okay."  
  
Peter nodded, "I didn't actually expect you to..."  
  
"Drop everything, just for you?" Jack questioned.  
  
"Forgive me."  
  
Daniel sighed, "No... It's not that easy, but I need to know, what really happened?"  
  
Peter nodded, "I knew I wasn't going to get out of that one."  
  
"You actually *thought* you had a chance to avoid that one?" Jack snorted in disgust.  
  
Peter looked up angrily, "Of course! I thought if I thought pretty thoughts for long enough-"  
  
"STOP IT!"  
  
Both Jack and Peter looked at Daniel in surprise.  
  
"Just stop it." he pleaded, "Please.. just stop it."  
  
"Those people who shot me," Peter began, "Weren't going to stop at anything," he looked  
  
pointedly at Daniel, "Anyone. Until I was dead."  
  
"I don't--"  
  
"I knew they were coming. I got a hold of a drug."  
  
Jack's head whipped around in surprise, "You didn't."  
  
Peter looked ashamed, "I did."  
  
"You faked your own death?" Jack looked a little horrified, "The way you did it was damned  
  
dangerous."  
  
"I hired someone, tried to make sure they got there first, wore a vest and everything, but I didn't  
  
know who was actually in that car that came around the corner."  
  
"Why?" came the quiet question from Daniel.  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"You never tried to find me, call me, write a letter.. SOMETHING!! Damn it! You could have  
  
done SOMETHING!!"  
  
Both Jack and Peter were taken back by the rage in Daniel's voice.  
  
"I-I wanted to," Peter said. "I just... I couldn't come back to you, not without putting you in  
  
danger."  
  
"One sentence. All it would take was one *sentence*, to let me know you were alive, you were  
  
okay."  
  
"Would you have believed me?"  
  
"I was in love with you," Daniel said. "I would have believed anything you said."  
  
Peter smiled, quickly, and sobered just as quickly. "I just thought that it would be easier."  
  
"*Easier*?" Daniel flushed angrily. "You *bastard*. What, you-- you thought I enjoyed it?   
  
Huh?"  
  
"It's not like that."  
  
"Oh. Right. So it was easier for *you*? Was I getting boring? Or, what, I wasn't good enough  
  
in bed?"  
  
"Daniel," Peter snapped, "for god's sake, *stop* it."  
  
"What's the matter! Got tired of your life! Decided to die and start over? It's easy for you isn't it?  
  
Leave all your responsibilities behind when it gets to be too much!"  
  
Dawning realization hit Peter's face.  
  
"I saw the little knife trick on the planet!" Daniel finally yelled.  
  
"You... know," Peter said.  
  
"No. I'm too stupid to figure it out. Too oblivious to notice the clues." Daniel glared at him.  
  
"Okay," Jack said, "*what*?"  
  
Daniel didn't look away from Peter. "I'll tell you later."  
  
"You *know*," Peter repeated, sounding almost amused. "Oh, Daniel, I knew there was a  
  
reason I liked you."  
  
"I still haven't gotten an answer," Daniel said, very softly.  
  
"I don't run away." Peter opened his mouth, closed it again, and shrugged. "Well, okay, I do,  
  
sometimes. But I *didn't*. Not from you."  
  
"Can you give me a reason to believe you?"  
  
"I'm telling you the truth. That should be enough of a reason."  
  
"You want truth?" Jack said suddenly. "I can't say I know what's going on, not completely, but I  
  
know this much: Truth is that you hurt Daniel. Truth is that Daniel opened his heart to you and  
  
you-- tore it out."  
  
"Truth! Damn it! It always comes back down to that doesn't it." A serious look came over him,  
  
"You want the truth Daniel? I've fallen in love more times that I can count and lost them all!  
  
Daniel all!" a deep breath, "Despite what you think I am... What you think I can do... " His voice  
  
softened, "I'm just a guy Daniel, a guy who was scared. Scared for his life, for the life of his  
  
lover."  
  
A look of understanding came over Daniel's face, "Adam.."  
  
Adam shrugged, "You deserved to know, " he caressed Daniel's face, "You deserve... a proper  
  
goodbye."  
  
He turned to leave when Daniel called, "Wait! Adam." he turned around and was swept up in a  
  
kiss of breathtaking proportions.  
  
They broke apart, gasping for air, "Good bye." Daniel said.  
  
"Good bye."  
  
Daniel watched Adam leave. Jack couldn't decipher the expression on his face; it wasn't  
  
completely happy, but was more thoughtful than anything else. What did you say in a situation  
  
like this? "Need more beer yet?"  
  
Daniel didn't move. "No."  
  
Jack looked down. "Neither do I."  
  
After a short silence, Daniel said, "I'm sorry you got...dragged into all this."  
  
Jack shrugged. "You going to tell me what that was all about?"  
  
"Later?" Daniel pleaded. "I just..."  
  
"Sure, that's fine. Hey, I'm used to not having a clue." Jack smiled down at his beer.  
  
Daniel smiled and did the same. "Jack?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"The briefing tomorrow?" he asked with trepidation.  
  
Jack shook his head shortly, "Don't worry, I didn't ask, you didn't tell."  
  
Daniel smiled ruefully, "You just sorta... watched."  
  
Jack's eyes widened.  
  
"It's ok, not like you had much of a choice."  
  
Jack let out a deep breath  
  
"But that's not what I meant.."  
  
"Well, as far as that's concerned Danny, they don't even have to know there even was a....  
  
sacrifice." Jack grimaced.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
They were quiet for some time. "Are you ok?" Jack finally asked.  
  
"I thought I told you I hated that question."  
  
"And don't think I didn't notice how you never answered."  
  
Daniel sighed, "I don't know how I feel Jack."  
  
Jack put a comforting hand on Daniel's arm, "You're allowed to feel that way, you know."  
  
Daniel leaned into the gesture, "Thanks."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes, "Come here." and he pulled Daniel into a hug.  
  
Daniel wrapped his arms around Jack, closing his eyes. Of all the confusion of the recent days,  
  
Jack had been his one constant, and he needed that.  
  
"Don't know what I'd do without you," he mumbled into Jack's shirt.  
  
Jack laughed, a quiet snort that puffed into Daniel's hair. "I think you'd find just as many ways of  
  
getting into trouble."  
  
"No, I mean--" Daniel pulled back slightly, enough to look into Jack's eyes, and he realized that  
  
he didn't need to say anything. Jack knew what he meant.  
  
I get it," Jack said. One of his hands was at the back of Daniel's neck, warm and comforting. He  
  
leaned forward, slowly enough to give Daniel time to back out, and kissed him.  
  
Daniel gasped slightly, and Jack started to draw back. This was going to cause problems, Daniel  
  
knew, but he leaned forward anyway, drawing Jack back in, drawing him deeper.  
  
When they parted, he licked his lower lip slowly. "Uh...Jack?"  
  
"Hm?" Jack's thumb was stroking behind Daniel's ear, back and forth, back and forth, and Daniel  
  
tried to recapture his train of thought.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"I think it was a 'me too'," Jack said. "Unless it wasn't."  
  
Daniel swallowed. "It, uh... was," he said, and Jack's smile made him shiver. "Jack...do you  
  
know what you're doing?"  
  
"What, yes. How, no, but..." Jack smiled. "Figured you could teach me."  
  
Daniel blinked furiously. "What, uh... you could start by, um, kissing me again?"  
  
"Could've figured that out," Jack murmured against Daniel's mouth, and any retort Daniel might  
  
have made was lost. Instead, he just pulled Jack closer, needing the contact as much as the actual  
  
kiss.  
  
When they parted again, Jack asked, "Stay here tonight?"  
  
Daniel looked wary of the proposition, "Jack you're taking a lot on faith here-"  
  
"Just to sleep." Daniel looked relieved. Jack added, "You dork."  
  
Daniel smiled, then laughed, a deep throaty, belly laugh. He noticed the dopey smile on Jack's  
  
face, "What?"  
  
"It's nice to see you laugh." Jack said as he thread his fingers through Daniel's hair. "Come on,"  
  
He grabbed his hand, "Let's go to the bedroom and make out like teenagers!"  
  
As Daniel let himself be dragged into the bedroom he asked, "Is this a mid-life crisis Jack? 'Cause  
  
if it is-"  
  
"Danny?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Shut up and kiss me."  
  
"Okay."  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Daniel woke slowly, disoriented -- the light was wrong, and the sheets felt different, and there  
  
was something brushing lightly over his face and neck, not quite tickling.  
  
As he surfaced from sleep, he realized why, and realized that it was Jack curled next to him, that it  
  
was Jack's breath, slow and even with sleep, that was whiffling against him.  
  
He stirred, shifting around to face Jack. Watching him, and then, as Jack awoke, Daniel smiled  
  
and said, "Morning."  
  
"Hey." Jack rolled onto his back and rubbed at his face. "What time is it?"  
  
Daniel squinted at the clock beyond Jack. "Uh. 7:15, I think."  
  
"Briefing's not until 11. You up for that?"  
  
"I think so," Daniel said. "What are we going to tell them? I mean, we can't tell them  
  
everything..."  
  
"We say what we need to say," Jack said, "and nothing more."  
  
"Sounds easy," Daniel said. Lots of things sounded easy even when they weren't, he didn't add.   
  
Hell, with the right phrasing, anything could be made to sound easy.  
  
Jack was staring at the ceiling, Daniel rubbed slow circles on his stomach, but stopped when he  
  
felt the muscles tense.  
  
"Jack?" Daniel looked over. Jack's eyes were closed, and his face was tense. "You okay?"  
  
"I..." Jack trailed off.  
  
"Talk to me," Daniel said. "Please?"  
  
"It's nothing," Jack said stiffly, and swallowed hard. "I just...can't believe I did that. Can't believe  
  
I'm doing this."  
  
Daniel went very still, and then carefully lifted his hands away from Jack, shifting to a sitting  
  
position. "Are you regretting...?"  
  
"No!" Jack's eyes flew open, but he stared at the ceiling instead of meeting Daniel's gaze. "No. I  
  
just... I'm... this is all very new. And I'm not sure that it's me."  
  
"Yeah," Daniel murmured. "I'll, um...go get dressed, I should go to base and prepare for the  
  
briefing."  
  
"Daniel."  
  
"Jack, it's okay, I understand."  
  
"No," Jack said. "I don't think you do."  
  
Daniel turned back, looking at him, saying nothing.  
  
"I don't... want to stop. I just need to..."  
  
"Adjust?" Daniel supplied, softly.  
  
"Did this..." Daniel started hesitantly, "Was this... unexpected?"  
  
Jack let out a puff of air, "Unexpected... that's an interesting word." He looked at Daniel, "If you  
  
mean on my wedding day, was I hoping that Sara had a surprise for me that wasn't a silk neglige?"  
  
"Dork." Daniel said softly. "You know what I mean."  
  
"No, I never expected to fall in love with you."  
  
Jack reached out and snagged Daniel's hand, "But in that room, when you... and he..." he smirked,  
  
"Well.. it sorta clarified things."  
  
Daniel looked at Jack, "You love me?"  
  
"Now who's the dork," he tugged on Daniel's arm, "Come 'ere."  
  
"Not a dork," came Daniel's muffled reply from Jack's chest.  
  
"No not *a* dork... my dork." he stroked the soft hair, "Understand? But I still need time.."  
  
"I can do that," Daniel murmured.  
  
"Daniel, look at me." Jack gently tugged him up so that their eyes met.  
  
"I do want this," Jack said. "Don't know exactly what it is that I want, but -- I'm not doing this to  
  
humor you."  
  
"I know." Daniel nuzzled against him, kissing gently. "I just can't help being..."  
  
"A dork? Ow," Jack added, as Daniel nipped him.  
  
THE END 


End file.
